I. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to a system for adding dry chemical concentrate materials in particulate form to a liquid dilution system and, more particularly, the invention deals with an improved noncontact, batch addition system for adding free-flowing particulate solid chemicals in a liquid dispersion that avoids worker contact, precludes spillage and eliminates container residue.
II. Related Art
A number of different techniques have been developed and used for solubilizing dry chemical materials into solutions for water treatment, cleaning and other uses. Such systems have been designed to include an infusion device that sprays a stream of water into a solid mass which may be a block or amount of powder of a concentrated composition for a limited period of time to produce a liquid chemical concentrate which may then be diluted with the appropriate amount of water or other solvent to form the desired solution for the particular use involved. Multiple product dispensing systems including dispensing systems for forming use solutions from solid chemical compositions are exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,607,651; 5,494,644; and a single solid chemical dispensing system exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,915.
Whereas each of these prior devices and systems address certain problems associated with the creation of solutions of a given concentration utilizing solid chemical feed materials, while these systems address the handling of dry chemical additives in solid block form, they have not addressed problems of batch addition of free flowing dry and particulate materials. This is particularly true of avoiding contact between those operating the system and the chemicals involved including contact with associated dust or vapors from the particulate material. There further remains a need for such a system which is entirely compatible with free-flowing crystalline or other free-flowing solid particulate materials supplied from bulk containers in totally dry form.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a free-flowing solid delivery system that dispenses solid chemical materials into a mix tank without exposure of the chemicals to those operating the system or to the environment.
Another object of the invention is to provide a solid chemical material delivery system which eliminates waste through complete product transfer while reducing container residues and the risk of hazardous spills to the environment.
A further object of the invention is to provide a delivery system for free-flowing solid materials which is relatively simple in construction and easily operated.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon familiarization with the specification, drawings and claims contained herein.